Technical innovations can play an important role in the effective management of transboundary pests if they are well integrated with participation and collaboration by affected countries and coordinated by a centralised body. This is particularly relevant to those migratory pests that can easily and rapidly move across regions and continents to simultaneously threaten food security and livelihoods in numerous countries. Innovations to FAO’s successful desert locust global monitoring and early warning system are highlighted and the lessons learned can be applied and adapted to other emerging transboundary threats such as the fall armyworm in Africa and the red palm weevil.